Boy Scouts Announce ‘Inventing’ Merit Badge

The Boy Scouts of America took the wraps of their newest merit badge at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s EurekaFest invention fair today. I live near MIT, so I’m here at EurekaFest just like a real-life reporter.

The Boy Scouts have been working to revamp the merit badge process, streamlining the amount of time it takes to approve new merit badge ideas and offering merit badges more in line with modern day technology.

BSA board member and innovation council chair, Joe Landy remaked, “It may seem like a small part of our organization, but it’s a very big deal. It is representative of the reinvention of the Boy Scouts of America culture. It also reflects the fun and the intellectual curiosity that has been and always will be part and parcel of the scouting experience.”

Landy went on to say that the last major Boy Scout merit badge was for “Composite Materials” and was introduced in 2006. He continued, “Over the next nine months, we’ll be adding geocaching and robotics.” You’ll also recall that the Cub Scouts recently announced video game loops and pins.